Natalie Colony Professor Kramer February 27th, 2012 English 110 06 Ad Analysis Essay The Female Posterior: A New

Image In America, there is a certain female body image that is displayed through the media. Most people see this image as someone skinny, who can fit into size 0 jeans and show off a tiny waist at the beach. Companies, such as Nike and Dove, are attempting to redefine the female body image through advertisements. Nike is trying the sell the abstract product of the redefinition the female body image by using suggestive text, evocative imagery and color, and a supportive visual layout to instill confidence and empowerment in women. Within the ad the text is laid out in the form of a poem. The use of ethos is clearly delineated by the voice and tone of the speaker. Rather than use a person to campaign the ad, the company relies on its own trademark name and slogan to represent and justify its reputation. The ad is set up so that the reader can become the speaker in the ad, an appeal to support ethos. They use Logos by addressing an issue of a big butt with alternative ways to perceive it. Rather than your butt being a hindrance it is a benefit to you. It is a, space heateran ambassadora border collie (Nike Ad). These are positive features of your butt even if not in the literal sense, it does follow a certain false logic, but justifiably appeals to the average female. Who in this case is portrayed as a voluptuous woman who has confidence in herself. The phrase have made it rounder, but not smaller, and thats just fine shows the strength and poise that a woman

can have. Nike is trying to sell womens sports clothing to women by empowering them through this poem.

In addition to the use of text, the use of imagery and color also enforce the new female body image. There are three colors within the add purple, pink and yellow. All three of these colors are blended together in what looks like paint splatters across the add. The three colors can elicit emotional responses from the audience in order to reinforce the abstract product. Each color has its own meaning; purple means well-liked and mysterious, yellow: happy, optimistic, and pink: sensitive, romantic (Wood, 214). Placed on a white background, they stand out, and as the audience sees the add, these emotions are seen. If the intended audience feels well-liked, optimistic, and sensitive, then they will react in a positive way towards what the add is trying to sell, the female body image and confidence. This is again seen in the bold image chosen by Nike. The female posterior is the most prominent part of the add. The image grabs everyones attentions and evokes emotional responses in both men and women. The image elicits a sexual response from men. Nike purpose for this is to encourage men to accept the new female body image also. If women feel that this is what men want to see then they will strive for this new image. Nike made a choice with the image color, black and white. By doing this they removed the racism from the body image issue because you cant tell what race the woman is. This also supports the abstract product in that women of every race feel included. The imagery and color in this ad support the abstract product by evoking different emotional responses.

As with imagery, color and text, layout plays a large part in this ad. The overall placement of everything within the ad reads like a book. First the audience sees the image of the female posterior and is either shocked, intrigued or both. This is the hook for the ad. The audience will then see the poem. This, along with the color splotches are placed and rounded in order to reinforce the image of the female posterior. The color splotches, along with reinforces the shape, are randomly placed around the ad in order to say that no woman is the same and doesnt have to be any specific size. By placing the image, colors, and text in a reading format, it allows the reader to feel comfortable with what Nike is selling. The audience is at first shocked by the image, soothed by the colors, and then reads the text which allows them to think and consider what Nike is saying about the ideal female body. This ad is selling Nike womens clothing to larger women but at the same time they are attempting to redefine the ideal female body by saying its ok to be bigger. The layout reinforces this abstract thought.

Through evocative text, suggestive imagery, and a reinforcing layout, this Nike ad sells two products; womens clothing and the abstract thought of feminine confidence and a different ideal body image.

Works Cited

Wood, Julia T. "Perception and Communication." Communication in Our Lives. Belmont [Calif.: Wadsworth Pub., 1997. 214. Print.